BUHLER - Friday afternoon, a sudden thunderstorm swooped through Reno County. What had been a nice sunny day was suddenly dark and gray.

Brad Hallier - The Hutchinson News - bhallier@hutchnews.com

Sunday

May 17, 2009 at 12:01 AMMay 17, 2009 at 6:00 PM

It didn't last long, and the dreariness gave way to a hopeful sky that mixed sun and clouds.

It was a perfect metaphor for Elise Wedel's high school years.

The Buhler senior has been though furious personal storms, most of which came unexpected during what seemed to be otherwise normal times in her life. But in the end, little has been able to bring down the small but energetic and popular leader of Buhler's soccer team.

As practice wrapped up Friday indoors at Jim Baker Fieldhouse, Wedel changed into her maroon road uniform. Wedel rambled on about how she wished she had known she was going to be photographed because she didn't wear any makeup.

A minor inconvenience, and it's one Wedel quickly forgets about. She smiles - it's one of those contagious smiles - and is ready to move on.

No matter what problems have confronted Wedel these last four years, she has moved on. She hasn't forgotten the life-altering moments or the painful lessons on the soccer field.

"But I wouldn't be the person I've become if that didn't happen to me," Wedel said.

Mason's death

Elise Wedel remembers the day vividly.

She was brand new to high school in 2005. Her oldest brother, Mason, was brand new to college.

After a standout high school career on the soccer field, Mason took his determination and skills to Tabor College. On Oct. 8, 2005, Tabor was slated to play at McPherson.

"My parents and I had to go to Tabor to get him his car," Elise said. "We were going to take it to (McPherson) so he could drive home."

Mason never got on the bus with his teammates. He had died unexpectedly in his sleep.

"I remember everything that day," Elise said.

What was supposed to be a memorable freshman year for Elise Wedel had instantly turned tragic.

"He was so excited for me to play high school soccer," she said. "He was telling all his friends about it, and he never got the chance."

Elise's friends and teammates were just as stunned since Mason was one was as well liked as anyone.

"It was tough to watch her go through that," senior forward Steph Franz said. "Elise and I actually talk about this stuff. We talk about Mason and the impact he had on her life, and how she wouldn't be the person she is today if it hadn't happened."

"She handled it exceptionally well," added senior defender Molly Dick. "She handled the best way anyone could have. I don't think I could have handled it that well."

Elise knows there's a reason her brother died. She's not sure of it, but she's certain one exists.

She calls it "My Sermon."

"A lot of times, we don't understand why things happen," she said. "In the end, you have to trust God. He knows what's best and what's good for you. Yes, I don't understand why Mason died. But I wouldn't be the person I am now. In some ways, this has confirmed my faith. ... If there's no hope, what's the point?"

Tough end to a tragic year

Elise Wedel remembers the day vividly.

It was the end of her freshman year. Wedel was having a great year for the Crusaders. Her skillful dribbling and precise passing was uncanny for a freshman. If she had a background score when she had the ball, Beethoven's piano masterpiece "Fur Elise" would have been appropriate.

And of course, Wedel played with the same drive Mason did, even wearing No. 6 like he did and wearing a wristband with No. 6 sewn on it.

Buhler was playing archrival Rose Hill in a Class 5-4-3-2-1A regional semifinal at Wheatland Park. The disdain between the two teams is well known, and Rose Hill led 1-0 for most of the game.

"I wasn't going to let us lose that game," Wedel said.

Wedel created the game-tying goal and scored on a magnificent volley late in the game for a 2-1 Buhler lead.

But Rose Hill tied the game with one second left and the game went to a penalty-kick shootout.

The shootout was tied 3-3 as Wedel walked up to take her shot. A goal would have placed Buhler in the regional finals for the first time ever. And she wanted to score for Mason.

It could have been a fairy-tale ending. Instead, it was tragic.

Wedel's shot sailed over the crossbar and Rose Hill eventually won.

Wedel was inconsolable after the game.

"It was one of the most vivid memories from that season," Wedel said. "I was disappointed because I let the team down, let myself down, and I felt I was playing for Mason. It was hard to take.

"But these things happen for a reason."

What more could go wrong?

Wedel has other vivid memories she would rather forget.

Like dislocating her right kneecap in the postseason last year, causing her to play Buhler's first regional championship game with a large, awkward brace. To complicate things, she was sick to her stomach during that 4-0 loss to McPherson.

As the knee healed, Wedel was playing summer soccer in McPherson. Then she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

A sixth-place finisher at the Class 4A state tennis tournament as a junior, the only sport Wedel likens to soccer was out of question.

"I was so mad I couldn't play," Wedel said. "The one girl who placed ahead of me, the girl that beat me for fifth (Hesston's Miranda Weaver), was the highest placer to come back. I thought if I could beat her, I could win state."

Of course, Weaver won the Class 4A state title last fall.

Then there was home soccer game against Andover Central this year. Central rallied late for a 2-1 win when Wedel inadvertently scored the winning goal for the Jaguars.

"That was a bad deal. I really don't want to talk about that," Wedel said.

All of a sudden, Wedel looks up with that smile on her face.

"I've had a lot of bad stuff happen to me, haven't I?" she said.

On the bright side

Elise Wedel doesn't want to sound like a whiner or someone looking for pity.

"I've had a lot of good things happen to me as well," she said. "I don't want to say, 'Oh, poor me.' "

Wedel points out the 8-0 win against Rose Hill last year as one of her favorite games.

"That was a great one," Wedel said. "I loved that game."

There was also the trip back from Mulvane when Wedel and Franz entertained their teammates with a game of "Name That Tune" using blades of grass for the music.

"I've known Elise for six years, and that's how she is," Buhler coach Miriam Lane said. "On the field, she's a fierce competitor, a coach's dream. But she's also hilarious. She goes from playing a game intensely to playing grass off the field and giggling."

Now Wedel hopes to end what has been an outstanding senior season on a high note. With 12 goals and 26 assists - which are among the most assists in a single season in state history - Wedel is one of the top players in the area for a fourth straight year.

And while she's excited to finish high school and move to Sioux Center, Iowa in the fall to attend Dordt College, she has more soccer to play this week. Thursday, Buhler will likely play regional power Bishop Carroll in the regional semifinals at Wheatland Park.

Wedel has been through enough heartache in high school, so one would think maybe some fortune would fall on her and the Crusaders this week. But if it turns out this week marks the end of Wedel's high school playing days, she'll be OK with it.

After all, she's weathered some of the toughest storms in life, and she can still smile.

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